Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition

Abstract

As enrollments continue to decline, student retention is increasingly vital to the survival of most colleges and universities. In the second edition of this text, Tinto synthesizes far-ranging research on student attrition and on actions institutions can and should take to reduce it. The key to effective retention, Tinto demonstrates, is in a strong commitment to quality education and the building of a strong sense of inclusive educational and social community on campus. This revised and expanded edition incorporates the explosion of recent research and policy reports on why students leave higher education. Incorporating current data, Tinto applies his theory of student departure to the experiences of minority, adult and graduage students, and to the situation facing commuting institutions and two-year colleges. He has revised his theory, giving new emphasis to the central importance of the classroom experience and to the role of multiple college communities.